Health Care Ethics: Philosophy (Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay)

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Health Care Ethics: Philosophy
Narrative medicine is a way of approaching illness and health issues, mainly from the patient's perspective. Over the years, medical practitioners have relied on their expertise and research to provide healthcare services. However, with time, these practitioners have realized the importance of patient stories in the healthcare process. Patients' stories and those of their family, friends, and other relatives matter a lot. As Arthur Frank notes, there are different kinds of narrative medicine (Frank 8). Research into narrative medicine is still growing, but one can get a perfect understanding of what medical scholars and practitioners are up to.
In my opinion, narrative medicine involves the illness stories that patients, the families, and friends tell. The primary storyteller in narrative medicine is the patient. He or she provides stories that help the medical professional attend to him or her. The story does not have to aid the health professional. It could also be told by the patient in a book, interview, or to random people. As Frank notes, it is part of the healing process for patients (Frank 101). Indeed, narrative medicine is a subject that has come to enlighten the field of medicine. Some people would like to tell their stories during and after an illness. Although some may not make it, it plays a crucial role in the individual's last days.
I believe narrative medicine is essential to the healthcare sector. For instance, take the example of Margaret Edson's play 'Wit.' The play is fictitious, but it is based on Edson's experience in her past. She wrote the play after watching a loved suffer from cancer just before she died. The play has been shown on television and in theatres around the world. Many healthcare learning institutions have used it to teach their students. The play has a particularly significant impact on nursing students who have watched it. I use the example of Edson's play because it is, in its own way, a form of narrative medicine. Edson's experience with an ill loved one is one she has passed down to the current and coming generations. It is her story as lived by another person.
The reason why I have also used the play as an example is to reiterate my initial point that narrative medicine is essential to the field of medicine. If you look at Edson's play, there are a lot of lessons one takes from it. From the beginning, it is clear that the way some of the nurses are treating the patient is not right. The patient, who is female, has her wig suddenly taken off as others hurry to prepare her. That starting scene is very telling. It makes one feel like the healthcare professionals could have done more to ensure patients' comfort and dignity is maintained. After watching the play, nursing students, even without being instructed, become aware of it. There are other scenes in the play that raise similar questions. By absorbing their underlying message, medical students and practitioners alike become aware of what they need to improve their services. Through this kind of storytelling, I think narrative medicine is vital to the healthcare sector in general.
Frank mentions different types of narrative medicine in his book (Frank 8). The most co...